Monday, May 29, 2017

Flour mill and bakery onboard naval ships during Crimean War

To support the British troops with their daily bread ration during the
Crimean War in 1855-6, two iron steamers were
refitted – one named “Bruiser” as a floating mill and the other “Abundance” as
a bakery.
Early mills were occasionally on boats on rivers. I posted about them HERE Details on "Bruiser" mill steamer -

“The Famous Floating Mill” in American Miller March 1, 1910 -

"Some of the oldest members of the milling fraternity no doubt will
remember hearing of the floating mill, used by the Allies during the Crimean
War, but to the younger men it probably comes as a distinct novelty. During the
siege of Sebastopol it was determined, on the urgent recommendation of
Assistant Commissary-General Julyan, to effect an arrangement for supplying the
troops daily with new bread and fresh flour from the grain of the surrounding
country. To this end it was determined to construct a floating mill and a
bakery.

Accordingly drawings and plans were prepared for the mills and ovens
and two iron Steamers were purchased by the English government for this
purpose. These steamers, subsequently named the “Bruiser” and the “Abundance,”
were fitted with machinery by William Fairbairn and Sons, the English
manufacturers, and were completed and ready for duty in less than three months.

The arrangement of the machinery Within the Bruiser is clearly shown in
the large illustration accompanying this article. The machinery was all driven
from the propeller shaft, A, which was driven by the engines B, B. These
engines were of eight horsepower each, with an exceedingly short stroke. The
wheat was stored in the forehold of the vessel and was raised by an elevator
into the Screw conveyor C, which carried it to the cleaner D.

From D the grain was carried by the elevator E and the conveyor F to
the hoppers, G, G, from which it was fed by the silent feeders I, I, I, I, upon
the millstones H, H. The millstones were hung on stiff irons, as the ordinary
balance rynd would have hardly been serviceable when the ship rolled.

After being ground upon the stones the flour or meal was taken by the
conveyor K, to the elevator L, which delivered it to the flour dressing machine
M, where it was freed from the bran and packed into sacks, being separated into
two qualities, fine and coarse. The propeller shaft A was exposed under the
millstones but covered by an iron troughN in other parts of the vessel. A cross-section of the vessel is shown
in the smaller cut, giving an idea of the transverse arrangement of the
machinery.

The mill worked very satisfactorily, even in a heavy swelling sea. On
one occasion, when the vessel was steaming 7 ½ miles an hour, the mill was kept constantly at
work for thirty-five hours. During the time the vessel was in the harbor at
Balaklava the mill produced about 24,000 pounds of flour per day and that from
very hard wheat, full of small gravel, and consequently difficult to griad. So
well constructed was it that it never once got out of order during the whole
period of service in the Black Sea. It is recorded that from January 1 to March
31, 1856, the mill ground 1,331,792 pounds of flour, with 358,172 pounds of
bran.

Bakery ship

In the sister ship, the Abundance, fitted out as a bakery, brick ovens
were built, and the necessary tables, troughs, kneading machines, etc.,
installed. This bakeship was thoroughly tested as was the mill, before being
put to sea, and showed a maximum capacity of 22,000 pounds of bread per hour.
In the three months above mentioned, 1,284,747 pounds of bread were made. The
success of both these vessels was extraordinary, everything considered, and
reflected greatly to the credit of Sir William Fairbairn, under whose personal
direction they were planned and constructed."